Another Led Zeppelin Rumor Almost Debunked

Posted 10/13/2008 2:54:06 pm
by Chris Harris.

It’s one of the crazier rumors we’ve ever heard here in the MTV News offices (and we hear crazy rumors all the time) and, so far, it’s been impossible to confirm or disprove, because no one involved is talking — not on the record, at least.

“It’s both frustrating and ridiculous for this story to continue to rear its head when all the musicians that surround the story are keen to get on with their individual projects and move forward,” Plant told the U.K. press, following the publishing of an article intimating that Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, ex-Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell and Van Halen’s erstwhile frontman Sammy Hagar could replace him on a Zeppelin reunion run. “I wish Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham nothing but success with any future projects.”
But, is it possible that by “future projects” Plant was hinting at Page, Jones and Bonham staging a global jaunt under the Led Zep banner, without Plant behind the microphone? Perhaps — and if the rumor ended there, with Grohl, Cornell, or even Hagar taking over, we could maybe see how some might fall for it. We still wouldn’t believe it, but we could see how some might.

The latest rumor, however, involves Myles Kennedy of Alter Bridge handling vocal duties on a Zeppelin tour. What makes the rumor — which I’ve spent the better part of two days trying to confirm — even harder to believe is the source: Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider, who recently spilled the beans to MuchMusic.

Snider — whose only connection to Zeppelin is a shared manager with Plant — claims that Page, Jones and Bonham have been rehearsing with Kennedy, and that they’re ready to hit the road. Snider claims the three told Plant, “We’re all rehearsed, we’re ready to go. Here’s a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don’t do it, we’re going out with this kid [Kennedy]. And he can sing the sh– out of Zeppelin. And they’re going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, ‘OK,’ and step in.”

Of course, Kennedy is not available for a five-minute phone interview, and Snider’s people haven’t gotten back to me. But a source close to Led Zeppelin — who spoke to me on condition of anonymity — said, “They are just rumors. Nothing has been confirmed at all. There’s been no talk of a Zeppelin tour!”

What do you think? Could these rumors be true? And, if they are, and Kennedy takes over for Plant on a Zeppelin reunion tour, would you still get tickets? Would it be a true LZ reunion without Plant? Let us know by commenting below.